Addressing, customs, islands and delivery — what senders outside Portugal need to get right.
Sending to Portugal splits cleanly depending on where you are sending from. From another EU member state, goods move in free circulation: no declaration, no duty, no clearance stage, and the only planning question is transit time. From outside the EU — the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the United States, Brazil and everywhere else — a full customs declaration applies and the recipient in Portugal will normally be liable for import duty and VAT before the parcel is released.
The second thing to get right is the address. Portuguese addresses have a specific structure, and the postcode in particular is a seven-character field that carriers depend on. Getting it half right is one of the most common causes of delayed deliveries into Portugal.
As they would write it themselves. For business deliveries, add the contact person on a second line so reception knows who the parcel is for.
Portuguese addresses put the number after the street name, unlike UK convention. Write it the way it would be written locally.
Apartment addresses in Portuguese cities commonly specify a floor and a door position. Put these on a separate line rather than trailing them after the street.
Portuguese postcodes are four digits, a hyphen and three digits — for example 1000-001. All seven characters are needed; the four-digit prefix alone is not enough to route the parcel.
In English, on its own line, at the bottom. Not 'Portugal, Europe' and not combined with the city.
With the +351 country code. Delivery notifications and driver contact both depend on it, and for rural addresses it is often how the delivery actually happens.
| Sending from | Customs | Who pays duty and VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the rest of the EU | None — free circulation | Nobody — no import charges apply |
| United Kingdom | Full customs declaration required | Recipient on arrival, unless you pay upfront |
| Switzerland, Norway | Full customs declaration required | Recipient on arrival, unless you pay upfront |
| United States, Canada | Full customs declaration required | Recipient on arrival, unless you pay upfront |
| Brazil and the rest of the world | Full customs declaration required | Recipient on arrival, unless you pay upfront |
Mainland Portugal is well covered by every major carrier, with the densest networks around Lisbon and Porto and good coverage of the Algarve. Delivery into cities is straightforward provided the address includes floor and door details — the most common failure is a parcel reaching the right building and not finding the right apartment.
Rural and interior addresses need more care. Some have limited street referencing, and the recipient's phone number stops being a convenience and becomes the delivery mechanism. Adding a brief landmark note where the booking form allows it genuinely helps.
Madeira and the Azores are part of Portugal and the EU, so there is no customs implication, but carriers treat them as separate destinations with their own networks, longer transit times and commonly an island surcharge. Quote them with the real postcode rather than assuming mainland rates.
If you are sending a gift from outside the EU, tell the recipient in advance that a customs charge may be payable before the parcel is released. A delivered-duty-paid arrangement, where you settle duty and VAT upfront, avoids putting them in that position at all.
Using only the four-digit postcode prefix instead of the full 0000-000 format.
Writing the house number before the street name, in UK rather than Portuguese order.
Omitting the floor and door for an apartment, so the parcel reaches the building but not the recipient.
Sending from the UK without customs paperwork on the assumption that EU rules still apply.
Letting a recipient face an unexpected duty bill on a gift instead of paying it upfront.
Quoting a mainland rate for a Madeira or Azores address and meeting the surcharge later.
Giving a landline instead of a mobile, so delivery notifications never arrive.
Only if you are sending from outside the EU. From another EU member state, goods move in free circulation with no declaration and no import charges. From the UK, Switzerland, the US or anywhere else outside the EU, a full customs declaration applies.
Recipient name, then street name followed by the number, then floor and door on their own line for apartments, then the full seven-character postcode and locality, then PORTUGAL in English on the final line. Include a mobile number with the +351 country code.
Only on parcels arriving from outside the EU, where import duty and VAT are charged on arrival and are the recipient's responsibility by default. You can avoid that by choosing a delivered-duty-paid arrangement at booking so the charges are settled upfront.
Yes. They are part of Portugal and the EU, so the customs position is identical to the mainland. Operationally, expect longer transit times, narrower service availability and island surcharges, so always quote using the actual postcode.
From within the EU, transit depends on the origin country and the service level, with no clearance stage to allow for. From outside the EU, add customs clearance, which is not fully predictable. Check the transit time guide for your specific origin.
Compare live rates into Portugal from DHL, UPS, FedEx, DPD and GLS, with customs details captured where they are needed.
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